The cold earth slept below; Above the cold sky shone; And all around, With a chilling sound, From caves of ice and fields of snow The breath of night like death did flow Beneath the sinking moon. The wintry hedge was black; The green grass was not seen; The birds did rest On the bare […]
Tag: Robin
Winter Robin is Back!
On Friday afternoon, before the big snowstorm started, a robin showed up at my window. When I opened it to throw a few raisins on the porch for him, he swiftly flew to the work surface on the side of the barbecue grill that’s right next to the window. That’s where I fed a winter […]
How the robin’s red breast could be the key to colours that never fade
Sheffield scientists now know why kingfishers catch fire, robins are red, and jays are blue: the pattern of colour on a bird’s wing may have nothing to do with pigment, and everything to do with feather structure on a scale of billionths of a metre. The research has a potential pay-off for fabric manufacturers and […]
Vicious murdering bully chosen as Britain’s national bird
So we’ve chosen a vicious murdering bully for our national bird? It’s bad enough that we probably plumped for our self-important red-breasted friend because the Victorians sentimentalised the robin as a symbol of Christmas. Yet I suspect that the main reason it has been chosen is because it’s the one bird most people can actually […]
Study shows one reason why pigeons so rarely crash
A pair of researchers with Harvard University has uncovered one of the secrets behind pigeons’ impressive flight abilities. In their paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, David Williams and Andrew Biewener describe how they videotaped some of the birds flying through an obstacle course they made, and what they found when […]
Spring Birds in Winter
Remember the polar vortex winter we had last year? This robin came to my window every cold morning of it with his feathers so puffed up he looked downright chubby. I fed him raisins for breakfast straight through until spring. He’s back! He (or so…
Warmer springs boost long-tailed tit survival
Warm spring weather boosts long-tailed tits’ chances of surviving the winter, scientists have said. The UK’s population of these little birds has more than doubled in the last forty years. A 19-year study by researchers in Sheffield links rising spring temperatures to their improved survival. Biologists suggest the birds are rare “winners” when it comes […]
Juniper Gorge-fest 2014
We have a pretty good sized juniper (not sure of the species) in our backyard that produced a TON of berries (cones, rather) this season. The Yellow-rumped warblers have really enjoyed this. So have the cedar waxwings and robins, but the butterbutts (yellow-rumpeds) own this tree, no questions asked. I’ve enjoyed watching them go absolutely […]